


Making Deals and Promises

by misura



Category: Warcraft (2016)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 23:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11725110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "Has anyone hit you on the head recently?"





	Making Deals and Promises

"Times like these, a man should be with his family," Lothar said, and Khadgar was tempted to ask _'what, times like when we're all going to die?'_ which wasn't going to happen. Probably.

Just because they were surrounded, outnumbered and about to run out of food, that didn't mean they were in trouble or anything.

"Want some of mine?" he offered instead.

"What?" Lothar said, giving him this look that suggested none too kindly that Khadgar was the crazy one who went around telling everyone to keep their chin up and 'watch their flanks'.

(Admittedly, watching their own flanks might do more to keep them alive than watching Lothar's would, for all that the strategy had seemed to work fine for Khadgar thus far. Then again, it wasn't just Lothar's flanks he'd been watching.)

"Some of my family," he said. "What do you want? I've got brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, a couple of cousins. I'm sure they'd be thrilled to have you. I mean, not that any of them have been talking to me recently - still blaming me for running away from the Kirin Tor, but still."

"I already have a sister," said Lothar. "But thank you. Has anyone hit you on the head recently?"

"Naw. Most people - well, orcs, they go straight for the chopping it off thing." Or the 'burying an axe in his stomach' thing, or any number of other painful, horrible options.

"Maybe they recognize a hopeless case when they see one."

_Unlike you?_ "Right," Khadgar said. "So what's the plan?"

"The plan?" Lothar looked confused. Khadgar was fairly sure he was faking it. "You want to talk strategy now? Who died and put you in command, hm?"

"Just checking if it involves us still being alive this time tomorrow," said Khadgar. "I mean, I've kind of got plans for the rest of my life."

"Right. You're going to be the new Guardian." Lothar's tone suggested that the fact had temporarily slipped his mind. "Big shoes to fill."

_I'm depressingly sure that I already_ am _the new Guardian._ Well. Assuming that he wasn't going to lose his mind and open up a portal to another dimension, he might do all right, compared to the last person who'd held the position. _Of course, he probably started out perfectly sane, too._

Khadgar didn't think running around the country, trying hard not to get killed was doing much for his sanity. Hanging around Lothar - well, it was keeping him alive. _Alive and in a near constant state of terror._

"At least I remember to put them on before going anywhere."

Lothar shrugged. "I did fine without them. Now, about this plan of yours - "

"What? I - I don't have a plan. Why would I have a plan?" Khadgar supposed that he might be able to think of some sort of plan in a pinch. "Don't you have a plan?"

"Of course I have a plan," said Lothar. "See? Nothing for you to worry about. Now go and get some rest. You'll need it."

"For your plan."

"For my plan," Lothar agreed. "Now, shoo."

_Would you have talked that way to Medivh?_ "Is it a good plan?"

"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to hit you over the head?" Lothar asked.

_I'm sure I'd like you to do any numbers of things to me, but I'll pass on that one._ "Quite sure, thank you."

"Pity," Lothar said. "Oh well. Things to do."

"You should get some rest, too," said Khadgar. "Unless your plan involves you falling over from exhaustion or something."

"That's funny."

Khadgar hesitated. _To push or not to push._ "You're human. You need sleep, like the rest of us."

"I need many things," Lothar said. "Know what one of those things I need is? It's for you to stop wasting my time so that I can get on with doing things that are actually important."

"Fine." Khadgar raised his hands. "I'll sleep with you."

Lothar blinked.

_Wait._ "I mean, I'll go to sleep when you go to sleep. In different tents."

"Right," Lothar said. "Because that will solve so many of our problems. No."

_So you think that it would solve our problems if we went to sleep in the same tent?_ Khadgar didn't think that he'd be able to stay awake even if Lothar so close, but ... _But what? He didn't mean anything by it._

"Now who's wasting time? Come on, who were you going to talk to next?"

Lothar glowered at him and crossed his arms. "Do I need to drag you to bed myself? Sing you a lullaby, perhaps? Give you a good night's kiss?"

"You know I could just spell you to sleep, right?" Khadgar said. _Well, for a few minutes, anyway._

"Not if you value your life," said Lothar, but he uncrossed his arms. "Come on, kid - Khadgar. Don't be so stubborn. It's for your own good. I don't want to lose you. You're the only mage we've got."

"You're not exactly replaceable yourself, you know," Khadgar said.

"I'm a lot tougher than you are."

"Maybe I'm not as weak as you think I am."

"Maybe you're not," Lothar said. "Maybe you are. Who can tell? Should I gamble all of our lives on the chance that you might be right and I might be wrong?"

"I - " Khadgar hesitated.

Lothar slapped him on the shoulder. "So glad we had this talk. Now go to bed, there's a good little mage. Dream of your family. They'll be glad to see you, next time you meet them. I promise."

"You don't know my family," Khadgar said.

Lothar looked at him. "I know you. You're all right. They love you. Simple. And if maybe they've forgotten, well, then I'll remind them."

"Are you saying you'll beat up my family for me?" The idea held a certain insane appeal. Lothar would never actually do it, of course, but the idea of walking into the family homestead with Lothar by his side was a lot more attractive than the idea of doing so alone.

"Only if they need beating up," Lothar said. "And only if you go to bed right now. Best, last and final offer. Do we have a deal?"

_If you do fall over from exhaustion tomorrow, I'll never forgive myself. Although if that happens, we're all dead anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter._

"Deal," Khadgar said.

"I'll walk you," said Lothar. "Just in case."

_In case of what? An orc attack?_ It _might_ happen, if all their scouts had somehow fallen asleep, which seemed unlikely. "Thank you."

"Hey, what are friends for?"


End file.
